


steal my heart (maybe leave the diamonds, though)

by hellfireschmellfire



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, First Meetings, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Treebros, With A Twist, but can you blame him, connor falls fast and hard, connor is a thief, evan is a cop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellfireschmellfire/pseuds/hellfireschmellfire
Summary: "Uhm... So I'm meant to, uh... stop you? Right now?""Am I supposed to be scared?""Kinda."Connor is a jewel thief, and Evan is bad at his job.





	steal my heart (maybe leave the diamonds, though)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic came out of nowhere, i was just trying to write a short prompt and then suddenly it was 2am so excuse any mistakes <3 i love my treebros (jared is acc my fav butttttt whatever)
> 
> also! they're both seventeen in this fic. connor doesn't live with his parents anymore, and evan lives with just his mom <3

"Uhm... So I'm meant to, uh... stop you? Right now?"

Connor halted his actions at the shaky voice from the figure. _That is not what I was expecting when I heard there would be security... Budget cuts?_

"Am I supposed to be scared right now?"

"Kinda? This is my first day- or, well, night. I-I'm sorta the only one who was awake when they phoned up. So obviously I wasn't the first choice but that's not really new- oh god I’m so sorry why am I telling you this, you dont wanna hear this."

Connor was stunned. He stared hard at the boy as if he'd just sprouted horns on his head (maybe that would actually be less weird than a cop apologising for speaking too much to a criminal).

"As much as I’d love to play therapist right now, I've kinda gotta..." Connor lifted the gem in his hand loosely, the fine material glistening richly in the moonlit room. Despite it being mostly dark, Connor could see the man was switching his balance from his left leg to his right nervously. Was this really who the police force were hiring right now? There were shit cops and then there was... Whatever this kid was.

"Oh, shit- of course, that's what you came here for! I’m sorry for talking so much, it's a habit. A bad habit, actually, my therapist is helping me to-" Connor arched an eyebrow, and despite the dim lighting, he was sure the other could see it. "Sorry."

Connor sighed and ran a hand through his hair, lost for words. Here he was, greatest jewel thief in the state, telling some anxiety ridden teen(?) how to do his fucking job properly.

"I'll break it down for you, dude. I am a bad guy. You are a good guy. Good guy chases bad guy so bad guy can rot in prison for the rest of his life, capiche?"

"But... That's kinda harsh, right? I mean, you have to have a reason for why you're doing this."

This fucking kid. Stood there in his uniform, badge reflecting light like a goddamn Christmas tree, shaking like a leaf, and giving Connor a lecture on why he's not actually a bad guy. Not even his parents had tried to convince him he wasn't inherently bad, even before he was stealing. A few whiffs of weed was all the proof they fucking needed to know he was unfixable, and yet here this cop was, faced with a wanted criminal he had seemingly no intention of actually catching.

"Is that a halloween costume?” Connor bluntly spoke. He decided then and there that this kid wasn't with the law; he had to be some sort of demon sent to taunt him. He'd already gone off the rails as much as he could have, and now suddenly there's this guy telling him the opposite of the things he'd always thought? No way. This kid was here to taunt him; show him what could have been, if he wasn't such a fuck up.

"W-What? I don't- I don't think so? Maybe? They just kinda threw it at me after they called me in. Is it too big?" Innocent. Which cruel fucking God decided to throw this innocent little angel at him when he'd reached his lowest. Connor knew he'd have to fuck up the kid somehow, cause that's what he always did. Also, he was still law enforcement, and Connor was a criminal. No chance this could end in sunshine and rainbows. Just tell him to fuck off, and follow the escape route you spent weeks plotting, simple as that.

"What's your name? Mine's Connor." Or fucking not.

"I know."

There was a slight pause.

"Not in a weird way! Oh God, that sounded so creepy. I've read your file - it's a big file, by the way, it was really hard to get through - so it's not like I've been, uh, stalking you."

Another pause.

"Well, I have been monitoring you, but it was strictly business! You know, keep an eye on the prize, or whatever."

A less slight pause.

"Not that you're a prize-"

"Holy fuck, you have some real fucking issues, man." Did this kid ever just process what he was saying? Not that Connor was any better in that field, but he'd always preferred saying less than more. 'Evan' seemed to just have no filter between his brain and his mouth, which fucking sucked for Connor, because the other boy's brain seemed to work in overdrive.

"Yeah. I get that a lot." Evan spoke, his soft voice still mildly shaky due to his consisent shifting. His hands were tangled in the hem of his uniform's shirt, and he seemed to be looking everywhere but Connor.

Connor didn't consider himself to be a greedy person. There wasn't a lot in life that he actually wanted. He stole to feel alive; the adrenaline he felt while lifting expensive items and the rush of fever whilst evading the cops was second to nothing. He hadn't felt in years. A decade. Maybe longer. Sure, he wanted to be happy, but that was never going to fucking happen so he stopped yearning for it years ago. But now...

Now he wanted to protect Evan. He wasn't suited to this line of work; how he'd gotten this far in the field is beyond him. The boy looked terrified to even be faced with a criminal, and Connor wasn't even trying to kill him. But there will be people that will try. And with the way Evan acted, they'd probably fucking suceed.

"Quit."

"I- You're going to have to be more specific, I'm doing a lot right now-"

"Your job. Quit."

A blur of light passed by as a car sped past, illuminating the room and casting a true light on Evan that hadn't been there before. In that split second, Connor could see the freckles that darted his skin, cobalt doe eyes that widened in surprise, and the deep blue uniform that hung off of him like a child wearing his dad's suit. And that's exactly what he was; a child. He couldn't have been older than seventeen. His skin was dotted with small arrays of acne, and there wasn't a lick of facial hair in sight.

"You don't work for the police."

"I..." Evan's eyes shifted to the side, looking off at some mishapen tile on the floor, avoiding Connor's gaze. Connor had long forgotten the gem in his clutches, tossing it back onto his original pillar, through the large hole in the broken glass box. Like Hell did he care about a dumb rock right now.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Connor near shouted, lurching forward and letting his long legs carry him all the way to Evan, gripping his collar and pulling him up to reach his height so Evan had to struggle to maintain balance. "I could have fucking killed you! This is fucking dangerous! What if I was a murderer, huh? Would you try and play fucking martyr then, you fucking freak? You enjoy the danger, is that it? Get off on the thought of getting your ass beat-" Connor was shouting at that point.

“I just-”

“No, you don’t get to fucking speak. Are you insane? You’re so lucky I don’t kill people, you’re so lucky, and I don’t usually say that to people who meet me. What in God’s name could make you want to impersonate an officer - which, by the way, I’m pretty damn sure is illegal - to… What? What did you expect to accomplish here? You don’t seem to have weapons, your public speaking is horrendous, you’re a fucking mess. Why are you here?”

“I…”

Another car swept by, once more casting light upon the room. The corner’s of Evan’s eyes looked wet with tears, and Connor could hear the boy’s breath hitching as he faced the floor, still caught in Connor’s hold. He considered letting go for a moment, thinking this kid was clearly fucked up enough without being held up by a non-masked criminal, until Evan spoke up. 

“I wanted to meet you.” He whispered, barely audible, but in the silence of the room, his voice become almost deafening. Connor instantly released him, the (presumably) younger falling flat on his ass as Connor stared blankly. God, this had to be a really vivid dream. It was weird to start with, but this was reaching new peaks of “what-the-fuck-is-going-on-here-on-this-day”. Evan looked up from his position on the floor, tears clearly visible even in the darkness, glowing softly against his cheek. (He shouldn’t be crying, he’s too fucking  _ good  _ to cry.) His breath was audibly quickening at a pace that wasn’t normal, and Connor could barely believe the situation he was shoved in.

If this was a dream, he may as well just fucking go along with it.

“Hey, look. I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I still think you’re stupid for coming here, but you’ve gotta breathe okay. Now, tell me why you’re here.” Connor bent down to get to Evan’s eye level, speaking slowly, and a lot more softly that he’d ever admit. What was he doing? He was Connor Murphy; the fucked up kid who threw a printer at his teacher in second grade, the kid who wore hoodies in summer all through high school, the kid who was in the principles office more than he was in classes, the kid who became a freaking jewel thief because it was the only thing that he thought could keep him sane. But there he was. He’d put the fucking diamond back. He hadn’t even considered just taking it and running once. Not once…

“I meant what I said…” Evan mumbled out, as soon as his breathing had levelled. It hadn’t been a panic attack then, just an influx of anxiety.  _ That’s good,  _ Connor nearly sighed in relief at the realisation. “I read your file. I’ve-- I’ve read it a lot. My dad’s a cop, I don’t- I don’t see him a lot. At all, actually, I just lied. I lied and said I was there for a visit and I stole it from his office and left while he was gone. I… I stole it.”

“...Why? Why would you do that?”  _ Why would anyone do that? _

“I saw you on TV once. It- It was actually pretty funny.” Evan sniffled a laugh, in that way people do when what they’re about to say really isn’t funny at all. “You stole a rich woman’s necklace, just, right off of her neck. Like, that’s crazy, first of all, how did she just not notice? Did she think a hand was on her neck for fun? Did- Did she think that the hand from the Addams Family was just c-chilling out? And then- Oh God it’s so funny. Her _ face _ .”

“And then you just- You just waved it to the camera crew, with this dopey grin on your face, like- Like you’d just gone into Lush to get a bath bomb and an employee offered to give you a free sample thinking you’d never tried it, so you ended up not having to buy it at all because you got it for free? Does that make sense? Jared would laugh at that.” Evan paused. “Or not. Jared would be the employee in that scenario.”

Connor had no idea who Jared was, or what it was like to buy a bath bomb, but somehow Evan’s admission made his face light up.

“And then… I just- Everytime you were on the news, I made my mom turn it up. This is so embarrassing, oh god, I can’t stop talking- And like once or twice or ten times I cut pictures of you out of the newspaper because you always looked so- so- Uh, anyway, I just kinda… Thought you were cool?” Evan winced at the end of his speech, face contorting from embarrassment to utter shock, as though he couldn’t believe he’d just said what he’d actually said. Immediately, he shrieked out, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-!”

Connor couldn’t stop the stray tear that fell down his face.

Someone… Someone thought those things about him. Someone cared enough to look out for him, to admire him, to watch out for him; to pretend to be part of the law enforcement just for a chance to meet him, disregarding danger despite his obvious lack of bravery. This kid forced himself out of his comfort zone just to see a man brandished by many to be nothing more than a nuisance, a boy brandished by his parents as something broken, a kid brandished by himself to be worthless.

He’d known Evan Hansen for less than an hour and he’d turned Connor upside down. Inside out. He’d taken all of those negative thoughts and crushed them, subverted them into an obsession, to what many would view as… Love? No, that was too much. Adoration? No,  _ fuck _ , the word felt bitter on Connor’s tongue. Whatever the hell Evan thought, it was better than anyone had ever thought before.

And Connor had no reason to doubt him. He’d always assumed people being kind were acting out of pity, and to be frank, he was always right about that. But… What purpose was Evan serving being here? He didn’t know Connor, didn’t know how broken he was. He didn’t have anything to gain out risking everything just to meet him.  _ Just to meet me. _

“Thank you.” Connor forced out, his voice apparating as more of a croak. Clearly it was legible, as Evan’s face contorted from shame to what could only be known as the most blinding smile in the universe.

Of course, it was at that point the lights of passing cards turned blue in an instant. Sirens blared outside, and the two boy’s sighed simultaneously, before cracking grins at the two of them acting in unison. They rose to their feet slowly, opposite to how they knew they should be acting in such a situation. The real police would be invading the room in minutes, and yet the two stared at each other as if they had hours to let the world pass by.

“You don’t hate me, do you? I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I’m just a weird creepy stalker kid, and you’re… You.”

Connor rolled his eyes, nudging the boy in the side playfully. Of course, Hansen winced anyway.

“The short answer is no, I don’t hate you.”

“The long answer?” Evan asked hopefully, looking up at Connor as if he’d just hung the fucking stars in the sky, and he didn’t deserve it, _ he _ **_didn’t_ ** -

“You’ll have to find out another night.” Connor grinned, and judging by the freckled boy’s blush, it was the way that Evan had so poetically described. The other seemed to pick up on the hint of ‘I’ll see you again’, because he nodded, still smiling.

Connor waltzed towards his escape route, before turning back to Evan, who was still stood there dumbly, seemingly frozen in place.

“You coming, Officer?”

“Y-Yes!”

When the two parted, they were breathless, laughing together as they watched police exit the building after they’d bounded in there, guns ablazing, only to find a broken glass box with the diamond still within it, and no other property damage in sight. Connor decided that he preferred two things now more than theft; confusing police officers, and Evan’s breathless giggle.

It became three things when he heard Evan gasp slightly at Connor slinging his trench coat over Evan’s shoulders haphazardly. 

“Wouldn’t want the cops seeing a fake cop at a crime scene, now would we?” Connor joked, poking Evan once more, purposefully lighter than the previous time.

“P-Probably not. Then I’d be the wanted criminal, and I’m not as photogenic as you.”

“I’m sure you are, Evan. You just gotta believe that you’re criminal material.”

“I think I’d feel better being a fake cop, than a fake criminal.”

“Suit yourself. Bitches love a bad boy.” Evan flushed heavily at Connor’s statement, and Connor couldn’t help but laughing. What the hell was this feeling? Was he… Happy? He could barely remember the last time he laughed for anything but dramatic effect at a crime scene. Whatever this warm feeling invading his every sense was, he never wanted to let it go. He wanted to keep this with him forever. His heart felt a million tonnes lighter, and it’s like he could breathe again.

_ Is this love at first sight? _

It turns out, their aimless walking ever since leaving the scene had led them to Evan’s doorstep. The boy almost seemed surprised to have ended up there, and couldn’t hide his disappointment from Connor. His features flattened out, and he sighed deeply; as though this was a dream that was about to end. His key slotted in the door, and he twisted it open, huffing out a sound of disapproval. 

Connor wasn’t letting that frown remain for more than two seconds.

“You’ll have to give me my coat back another night.” Connor mused innocently, before letting his statement sink in. “Maybe tomorrow?”

Evan Hansen had to be an angel. Or a demon. Because the smile he gave in return was deadly. It was pure, full of such innocence that Connor didn’t deserve. He didn’t deserve the dreamy eyes or the flushed pink cheeks or the beaming grin or the poetic speeches. He didn’t deserve anything. But… Then again, he was a thief.

Evan Hansen was brighter than any jewel in the world. And Connor was gonna make him his, no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> comment and connor will come and steal a diamond for u  
> true fact


End file.
